MISSOURI LANDOWNER INFORMATION

A proposed route has been identified for the Grain Belt Express Clean Line in Missouri.

Clean Line continues to work closely with landowners as we develop the Grain Belt Express project. Local representatives are available to meet individually with landowners to discuss the project in greater detail, review the easement agreement we are seeking, and discuss the compensation we are offering for the easement and any structures on each landowner’s property.

The purpose of this section of our website is to provide information to landowners and community members in Missouri.

Community perspectives

“As a former mayor of Carrollton and now serving as the Director of Development for Carroll County, I am all too familiar with the struggle that small rural towns face with dwindling populations and smaller tax revenues. Projects like the one that Clean Line is proposing would bring a welcomed infusion of jobs for a short term and increased tax revenues for the long term, strengthening our ability to provide community services and aiding our schools and children.”
– Sharon Metz, Carroll County, MO Director of Development

“As a Randolph County business owner, it’s easy to appreciate the economic benefits Randolph County is provided by those working on the pipeline which is now under construction. After learning more about the Clean Line Energy power line proposal, it is apparent that the Grain Belt Express project would provide even more benefit through local jobs, tax revenues to schools and the county and fair compensation to landowners.”
– Wally Iman, Moberly, MO

“I believe the compensation package, as stated, is a fair payment for having a structure should the route cross my land, and certainly the county will need more electricity to meet the demands of consumers. It appears that this project is a win-win for the landowner, Chariton County, and the state of Missouri.”– Dennis Neidholdt, farmer and landowner along proposed route, Chariton County, MO

Missouri Route Selection Study
The study describes the methodology and process to select the Proposed Route for the Grain Belt Express Clean Line in Missouri.

Agricultural Impact Mitigation Policy
Clean Line is committed to mitigating impacts to agricultural lands, and has developed an Agricultural Impact Mitigation Policy to address stakeholder concerns regarding the potential impact to agricultural lands during construction and operation of the project.

Landowner Compensation Fact Sheet
Clean Line is committed to compensating landowners fairly. This fact sheet provides an overview of the compensation Clean Line is offering landowners.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Will the Grain Belt Express Clean Line deliver energy to Missouri?

We are developing the direct current transmission project with a converter station in Missouri that will deliver clean energy to consumers through the existing, alternating current grid. The transmission line will provide Missouri utilities access to a new, low-cost, renewable energy resource for their customers.

What are the economic benefits of the project to Missouri?

The Grain Belt Express project represents an approximately $500 million infrastructure investment in Missouri, consisting of approximately 200 miles of transmission at roughly $2 million per mile and an approximately $100 million converter station in Ralls County, Missouri.

The project will deliver competitively-priced, domestically-produced, abundant, renewable energy to Missouri’s electric grid, putting downward pressure on wholesale electricity prices for Missouri’s residents, businesses, and industrial electricity consumers. Missouri is a manufacturing state and low electricity prices are important to manufacturers currently in, or considering coming to, Missouri.

How many jobs will the Grain Belt Express Clean Line create in Missouri?

The Grain Belt Express project will create hundreds of construction jobs in Missouri. Missouri businesses build America’s grid infrastructure, and several of these businesses will be involved in building the Grain Belt Express. Clean Line has already partnered with three Missouri manufacturers to create good-paying jobs in Missouri:

ABB Inc. has two large manufacturing operations in Missouri that support the wind energy and transmission industries. ABB has been selected as the preferred supplier of medium power transformers for the project. The agreement with Clean Line will support jobs at ABB’s St. Louis manufacturing facility, which employs 175 people. By spurring demand for roughly 2,000 new wind turbines, the Grain Belt Express will also support jobs at ABB’s Jefferson City facility, where Missourians make transformers for wind turbines.

General Cable is a preferred supplier of Grain Belt Express’ transmission conductor, and Missourians will manufacture steel conductor core and manage ongoing inventory for the project in Sedalia, Missouri. Clean Line’s agreement with General Cable will result in a capital investment, and provide a steady stream of work for two years, at a plant that employs 185 people in Sedalia.

Hubbell Power Systems, Inc. has partnered with Clean Line as the preferred supplier of transmission insulators and hardware assemblies for the Grain Belt Express. The project’s material requirement will create more than 50 full-time jobs in Missouri and result in roughly $9 million of facility investments, adding to Hubbell’s long-term commitment to more than 500 employees in Centralia, Missouri.

How will Grain Belt Express benefit Missouri electricity consumers?

The Grain Belt Express transmission project will deliver up to 500 megawatts of low-cost renewable power to the Ameren Missouri system through a connection to the electric grid in eastern Missouri. Over the course of each year, Grain Belt Express could deliver enough energy for more than 200,000 Missouri homes per year. Because wind speeds in Kansas are very high, and Kansas wind energy is very low cost, the energy delivered by the line will put downward pressure on wholesale electricity prices, ultimately benefitting Missouri consumers.

How will the Grain Belt Express Clean Line help Missouri meet its Renewable Energy Standard requirements?

In 2008, Missouri voters enacted a Renewable Energy Standard (RES) requiring investor-owned utilities to purchase or generate renewable energy for at least 15% of their electricity sales by 2021. A higher percentage of renewable energy in Missouri’s electric mix can lower fuel price volatility, create jobs, improve air and water quality, and reduce the risk from environmental regulation. Because the Missouri RES limits cost increases for renewable energy usage, Missouri’s utilities must purchase cost-effective renewable energy. New transmission lines like the Grain Belt Express have an essential role to play in providing access to low-cost wind energy.

Has Clean Line selected a proposed route in Missouri?

Yes, the proposed route is posted on the website here. The proposed route is the result of an extensive public involvement and routing process, during which Clean Line met with landowners, tenants, conservation and agricultural organizations, elected officials, community leaders, government agencies, and others, recognizing that these stakeholders have valuable insight that should be considered in the routing process. The proposed route includes eight Missouri counties: Buchanan, Clinton, Caldwell, Carroll, Chariton, Randolph, Monroe, and Ralls.

How has Clean Line sought public input in the routing process?

Before developing the potential routes, Clean Line held dozens of Community Leader Roundtable meetings in Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois to seek routing input from representatives of more than 100 counties. We also sought input from environmental groups, elected officials and other interested parties to better understand sensitivities and current and future land use in each county.

The information we received from these individuals and groups helped us to develop potential routes. We hosted Public Open Houses to seek feedback on the potential routes from landowners and other interested parties, and we also sought feedback through our website and hotline number. We used that feedback along with additional research to refine the potential routes, evaluate routing alternatives, and select the proposed route. Please visit our routing process page to learn more. The proposed route is posted on the website here.

Who was invited to the Public Open Houses?

Invitations were mailed to landowners with property along or near each potential route. Local and state government officials and others who have expressed interest in the project were also invited to attend. Ads were also placed in local newspapers to invite the general public in each local area. To view the materials presented at the Public Open Houses, click here.

What will Clean Line pay for the transmission line easements?

Clean Line is committed to compensating landowners fairly. There are two primary components to each compensation package: An easement payment and structure payments. Clean Line will also compensate for related damages incurred, such as crop damage or irrigation interference. To learn more about how Clean Line will compensate landowners, please click here.

Will our community benefit from increased tax revenue?

The Grain Belt Express project is a major infrastructure investment in Missouri that will result in property tax revenues for schools and local communities for years to come. Based on our research of applicable Missouri laws, in the first year of operation of the project, a county with 25 miles of the transmission line could reasonably expect property tax revenues from Clean Line of around $800,000, which would then be distributed to the relevant taxing districts in that county based on individual levies. This equates to $32,000 of property taxes paid per mile in the first year alone. We expect substantial property tax payments to continue for as long as the line is in service.

Will this project affect my electric bill?

If your local utility decides that it is in their customers’ best interest to buy power from the line (no fuel cost, no pollution, renewable resource), they will ultimately incorporate the transmission costs into their customers’ electricity bills along with generation and distribution. Transmission costs are the smallest part of a consumer’s electric bill, generally less than 10%. If your local utility does not buy power on the line, you will not see costs resulting from the project.